ATLANTA -- An Atlanta television reporter was arrested Wednesday after a speeding stop and refusing to take a breathalyzer test.
According to a report released by the Atlanta Police Department, Tyisha Marie Fernandes was stopped on Piedmont Road around 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Police said Fernandes was going up to 68 mph in a 35 mph zone.
The officer activated police lights and Fernandes pulled over. Upon pulling her over, the officer described Fernandes as having “glassy eyes, a green bracelet (which looked to be from a special event), and the odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from her person.”
Police then describe an extended back and forth between the officer and Fernandes where the officer claims her story changed several times regarding where she was returning from.
According to the responding officer, she said at one point that she was leaving work, another that she was leaving a local club and on another occasion that she left work, went to a club and was leaving as she was pulled over.
The officer also questioned whether she had gone in the club or had just gone to pick up the passengers in her vehicle.
The report added that the officer performed a series of sobriety tests which were met with mixed results. Officials said she refused the option of removing her shoes, which were described as high heels.
She also refused to take a breathalyzer test multiple times after being read her Georgia implied consent rights, according ot the report. A driver who refuses a breathalyzer test from an officer faces a minimum one-year license suspension and possible arrest. The license suspension can be dropped by a court ruling, however.
Fernandes now faces charges that include speeding, reckless driving and DUI less safe.
She is a reporter for WSB-TV, the ABC-affiliate in Atlanta.
